Monday, March 13, 2017

Creating a Caste System Infographic

What Is an Infographic? In traditional research reports, students gather information, analyze and organize, and then present their findings in essay style. They could demonstrate all of those findings in another way — with an informational graphic! Informational graphics, also known as infographics, are a way of presenting information, data, or knowledge with the use of visual tools. They are quite ancient; early humans, for example, made maps and other visual representations of their lives which can be seen today. There are a wide range of modern uses for these graphics. Visual presentation of information is a powerful tool. Sometimes a complex concept can be more quickly understood with the use of infographics than through words.

Some examples of infographics can be found below. Take a moment to look them over. What elements do they all have in common? How is information being presented? What might an infographic about the caste system look like?

Creating a Caste System Infographic Now that you know what an infographic is, it's your turn to make your own as a way of demonstrating what you have learned about the caste system. What information about the caste system might you include as part of your infographic? Your infographic may include information about how the caste system began, how it's both similar and different from other social class structures that you've learned about, the different levels (or castes) that make up the system, and its costs and benefits. You may also choose to use have your infographic shine light on the plight of the untouchables by including facts and statistics about their treatment, as well as the existence of caste system discrimination. You may rely on your notes from your Caste System - Study Guide, this Blog, your Social Studies text, and trusted online sources to assist you in gathering thenecessary facts and information for this project.Next, you will have to decide what application you want to use to design your inforgraphic. You may choose to use either Google Drawings or a website that specializes in the design of infographics called easel.ly. If you do choose easel.ly, click the link, login with your Google account, and get started. You may choose to a blank canvas or choose a pre-designed theme.

Using easel.ly I started work on the infographic in progress featured below. Notice the use of a title, shapes, lines, graphics, images, color, and text. There is a learning curve if you choose to use easel.ly, but I'm willing to show you a few things I've learned so far. If you'd rather stick to what you know, then don't hesitate to use Google Drawing for this project.

As for grading, this project will count towards your assessment grade. I haven't finalized a rubric but I found the one below online, and I plan on borrowing key elements from it in order to assess your work. Take a look.

HomeworkContinue working on your Caste System infographic, which will bedueFriday, Mach 17.